Choosing a Nursing School

Congratulations on deciding that you want to become a nurse. Now with that big decision out of the way comes another, where will you attend school to receive your degree? There are many factors to consider and some are presented here.

One thing that you need to decide upon is whether you want a two-year degree or a four-year degree. This decision is going to be based more on your individual circumstances than anything else. Some nurses get two-year degrees and are very happy with those. Other nurses complete a four year degree all at once, and others complete the two year degree, work for a while, and then go back to further their education. In general, two-year degrees are cheaper than four-year degrees. Not all schools offer all types of programs.

Next, you want to think about whether you want to attend school close to home, or have your heart set on that special school farther away. Most of the time, in-state tuition costs are cheaper. If you attend school close to home, you may be able to live at home and commute to classes, further lowering the costs.

After you have made these decisions, you can begin to narrow your choices. Within the schools that you have in mind, start finding out information about each one.What have their most recent state board passage rates been? The school or the board of nursing in your state may provide you with this information. Is the nursing program accredited and, if so, by what organizations? Ask how well they did on those surveys. What is the student to instructor ratio? A lower ration means that the instructors should have more time to spend with each individual student.

Carefully check the degree requirements for each school you are considering. These requirements can vary and can affect total cost of your education. Do the degree requirements seem to be reasonable when compared to the others that you are considering, or do extra or excessive classes seem to be present? Sit down with the requirements of each program you are considering and add up costs by credit hour for your entire degree. This will give you a better overall picture.

After you have narrowed your choice of schools down to three or less, visit each school personally to get a feel for the atmosphere there. Look at facilities such as the library. Do they seem to be up to date and well equipped for the size of the school? Finally, try to meet and speak to one or more of the instructors in the Nursing Program.

Studying for state boards begins the very day that you begin nursing school, so you need to carefully invest some time and energy to find the school that is right for you.